Ariya had barely stepped into the rain when Colin pulled her back under the eaves, holding onto her like she might break. “You already have asthma. You shouldn't be out here in the pouring rain getting dragged into Tallulah's drama,” he said, his voice thick with worry.

Every word hit me with brutal clarity. I stood nearby, drenched like a drowned rat, and Colin didn’t even spare me a glance.

Ariya broke down, pounding her fists against Colin’s chest. “Do you have any idea how much this hurts Tallulah? Why won’t you just reschedule the stupid wedding?”

Colin looked down, his jaw tight. “A wedding under the stars on the summer solstice—that was a promise I made to you, Ariya. I can’t change it.”

She stared at him, her hands going limp, then buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing like her heart was caving in.

In that moment, it felt like someone had taken scissors to my chest, the pain carving through me with a sickening, vicious twist.

I don’t know how long I stood there in the rain. By the time I dragged myself home, the apartment was empty.

The only light came from Colin’s computer in the living room—looping the video I had painstakingly edited, every frame filled with moments from our time together. Each familiar scene twisted the knife in my heart just a little deeper.

Colin and I were college classmates. From the moment I first saw him freshman year, I was head over heels. It took me an entire year to finally win him over.

He was reserved—distant, even, when it came to romance. Birthdays and anniversaries passed without so much as a surprise. But I cherished what we had, willing to be the one who gave more, who forgave more.

Then came this wedding. Colin had insisted on planning every detail himself, and I’d been secretly thrilled for weeks, thinking he was finally stepping up. Little did I know, his careful planning wasn’t meant for me—it was for Ariya. He was building her dream wedding, piece by piece.

Colin wasn’t incapable of romance. He just had never wanted to be romantic for me.

Colin didn’t come home that night. I popped a sleeping pill just to shut my brain off.

I woke the next morning to find my phone flooded with notifications. Ariya had posted a tear-jerking tweet late last night.

“Is love about who gets there first, or who deserves it more?”

Attached was a photo of her and Colin from high school.

As a social media influencer with over a million followers, Ariya’s post went viral fast. People dug up an old couple’s account from ten years ago—a young love story, posted day after day. When the girl went abroad for college, the updates stopped. Now, by posting the same picture, Ariya claimed that identity for herself.

Soon, Colin’s identity was exposed, and as his current fiancée, I woke up to find my social media under siege. Fans who’d rooted for this so-called destined couple were quick to brand me the intruder.

“You know unrequited love always ends up as the third wheel, right?”

“How shameless do you have to be to steal Ariya’s man?”

“Do us a favor—just bow out and let these star-crossed lovers be together!”

Angry messages, dripping with venom, flooded my inbox until my blood boiled.

It took me a minute to calm down before I forwarded the screenshots of the online abuse to Ariya.

She called right away, her face full of regret. “Tallulah, I was upset and posted without thinking. I never imagined it would cause you so much trouble.”

I forced a smile. “You didn’t think then, but you know now, right?”

“Then I’m asking you to delete the post and make a public apology.”

She bit her lip, but before she could respond, Colin took the phone from her.

“Ariya is a public figure. She can’t just put out an apology like that,” he said, dismissing me like it was nothing. “The truth will come out. Don’t sink to their level.”

His indifference—as if my harassment online was just a minor inconvenience—made my stomach drop.

But it wasn’t just Colin’s attitude. What hit hardest was what I saw behind him in the video call. He was at his parents’ house. I knew he spent every Sunday with them, but I had no idea Ariya was part of that too.

An hour later, I was standing on the Richardsons’ doorstep. I didn’t knock. I just stood there, listening to the laughter spilling out of the living room.

Colin’s parents—Idris and Anne—who had always been so reserved with me, were showering Ariya with warmth and affection. Even Rover, Colin’s Border Collie, who never warmed up to me no matter how hard I tried, was wagging his tail joyfully around her.

I had fought so hard to become part of the Richardson family. But for Ariya, it just came naturally.

Anne Richardson held Ariya's hand, regret written all over her face.

"If only you were the one joining the Richardson family, with your talent and how perfectly you fit in with us."

Ariya gave a bashful smile. "Oh, Auntie, please don't say that."

"What did I say wrong?" Anne glanced at Colin and let out a sigh. "If it weren't for Tallulah saving Colin's life, he wouldn't have to marry her."

The way she said it so casually hit me like a slap in the face.

Back in college, Colin had been mugged, and I stepped in to shield him from a knife—ended up bedridden for three months. I never once thought of it as leverage to trap him. I trusted that we were naturally heading toward marriage. But to the Richardson family, it seemed like I was holding it over his head, leaving him no choice but to marry me.

I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed open the slightly ajar door.

Everyone turned to face the entrance. Colin's expression shifted just a little.

I looked at him, clinging to the faint hope that his answer would be different. "Colin, is that what you think too?"

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, a muscle tightening in his jaw. "After everything the attack did to your body... who else would want you? Who else would take care of you the way I do?"

"Tallulah, I'm marrying you out of responsibility."

Every word stabbed straight through my heart.

He tried to step closer, but I took a step back, tears slipping out despite the bitter smile on my face.

"I never forced you to marry me, and I sure as hell don't need you."

"Colin, I'm calling off this wedding!"

Ariya immediately stepped forward, reaching for my hand. "Tallulah, marriage isn't something to take lightly. Don't be impulsive..."

"Get lost!" I snapped, shaking her off. "Ariya, I thought you were my best friend. What am I to you? A fool?"

Ariya's face flushed red, her breathing turning heavy, triggering an asthma attack that made her collapse.

My mind went blank. By the time I snapped out of it, Ariya had already been rushed to the hospital.

After half an hour of emergency treatment in the ER, she was finally out of danger and slowly came to.

The first thing she said when she woke up was, "Tallulah, I'm sorry."

A sudden pang hit my chest.

Right then, memories I'd buried deep came flooding back. From my earliest recollections, we'd been inseparable, sharing everything.

In elementary school, she stayed after class with me when I was punished for unfinished homework.

In middle school, when her dad ran off with another woman, I took her home and held her till dawn.

During our sophomore year of high school, when her parents divorced and she moved with her mom to another city, I cried for two hours at the train station.

When she came back from studying abroad, I was too excited to sleep, dying to introduce her to Colin—I wanted my two most important people to meet.

I had no idea Colin and she had known each other long before I did, and it was all because of me that they reunited.

Ariya's eyelids fluttered, tears tracing down her face. "There are things I didn't say because I wanted to spare you the pain."

"But after facing death, I realize life is short. I can't lose Colin again..."

My voice came out eerily calm. "So, you admit you're the other woman?"

Her face went pale instantly, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Ariya, have you forgotten how much you despised mistresses after your father's betrayal?"

Colin shot up from his seat, tension radiating off him.

"Tallulah Elliott, Ariya ended up in the hospital because of you, so show some respect!"

Just as I was about to fire back, Ariya suddenly cried out.

"Enough!"